The Seattle Seahawks head into the postseason as the NFC’s top seed, armed with a defense that looked every bit championship-caliber Saturday night.
Zach Charbonnet scored on a 27-yard run in the first quarter and Seattle stifled San Francisco’s high-powered offense in a 13–3 victory over the 49ers, clinching the NFC West title and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Seattle (14–3) secured its first division crown since 2020 and is now two home wins away from returning to Levi’s Stadium for the Super Bowl. The win came in just the fourth regular-season finale in NFL history where the victor was guaranteed the No. 1 seed. San Francisco (12–5) was relegated to the road for the wild-card round.
The Seahawks have reached the Super Bowl in each of their previous three seasons as the NFC’s top seed, including the franchise’s only championship in 2013, and Saturday’s performance evoked memories of those dominant defensive teams.
Seattle’s defense overwhelmed a 49ers offense that had been the league’s most productive since Brock Purdy returned from injury in Week 11. The Seahawks allowed no first downs in the opening quarter, recorded three sacks and delivered the defining play early in the fourth quarter when Drake Thomas intercepted Purdy at Seattle’s 3-yard line after the ball glanced off Christian McCaffrey’s hands.
Quarterback Sam Darnold played a clean, efficient game, completing 20 of 26 passes for 198 yards with no turnovers. Seattle leaned heavily on its rushing attack, piling up 180 yards on the ground. Kenneth Walker III ran for 97 yards, and Charbonnet added the game’s lone touchdown.
Purdy finished 19 of 27 for 127 yards and an interception, while McCaffrey was limited to 23 yards on eight carries. The 49ers totaled just 173 yards, their fewest in any regular-season game under coach Kyle Shanahan and their lowest-scoring outing since 2017.
Seattle controlled the first half, outgaining San Francisco by 127 yards and allowing only three first downs, but led just 10–3 at halftime. The Seahawks turned the ball over on downs at the 4-yard line on their opening drive but immediately forced a three-and-out, setting up a short field and Charbonnet’s scoring run. Jason Myers added a field goal but also missed attempts from 47 and 26 yards, finishing 2 of 4.
The Seahawks have now won 10 straight home playoff games played in front of fans, with their only postseason home loss since 2005 coming during the fan-restricted 2020 season.
San Francisco now turns its attention to a road wild-card matchup next weekend, with its opponent to be determined after Sunday’s games.
Injuries
Seahawks: LT Josh Jones, starting in place of Charles Cross, briefly left in the second half but returned.
49ers: LB Dee Winters (ankle) and LB Tatum Bethune (groin) left the game and could be sidelined for the playoff opener. LT Trent Williams (hamstring) and WR Ricky Pearsall (knee) were inactive.
Up next
Seahawks: Host a divisional-round playoff game on Jan. 17 or 18.
49ers: Play a wild-card game on the road next weekend.
